Mathieu in Wonderland
by kikinum1
Summary: Matthew wakes up on a normal, gloomy monday and ends up somewhere he never expected to be. And who is this handsome and mysterious King of Hearts? Franada, rated M for future(hopefully) chapters
1. Prologue

**This one is more of a prologue than a chapter, the first official chapter is incoming. This is the first time I've tried my hand at fanfiction, and I'm extremely iffy about sharing it because low self esteem ;)**

**If you have anything to say, please leave a review, and please try to be nice :)**

It was a gloomy Monday morning and Matthew struggled to get out of bed. He'd spent a late night cramming for a test this morning and ended up falling asleep as the sun rose. As his alarm went off, he pulled his maple leaf blankets higher above his head and grumbled as he silenced the clock. He reached down on the floor where his white polar bear stuffie, Kumajiro, had fallen and hugged it to his chest.

After a few moments of this, he crawled out from underneath his blankets slowly, shivering at the crisp autumn breeze that blew in from his open window. He slid on a pair of jeans and a "Moose are people too" T-shirt before heading downstairs to make himself some much needed breakfast.

After he'd eaten his pancakes drenched in maple syrup, Matthew glanced in the mirror and tried to comb down his unruly curl, without much luck. He looked at himself up and down in the mirror and sighed. He was plain-looking, with wavy blond hair and light violet eyes. His glasses had been carefully picked to be unremarkable, like himself and he often found himself looking downwards due to his shyness.

Disappointed that his curl refused to obey him, he moved away from the mirror, grabbed his red and white scarf and headed out the door. The idea of heading to school today made him want to crawl into a hole and cry, but he had no choice, really. He sniffled lightly at the cold, the tip of his nose turning pink under the constant chilly wind.

After having walked a few blocks, he was startled when he saw a little boy dressed in a bunny outfit running through the park. Matthew couldn't contain his curiosity as he found his gaze trailing after the strange boy. Before he even realized what he  
was doing, he was following the boy through the strangely empty park and past a huge hedge. What he found on the other side of the hedge surprised him greatly. He could have sworn he was right behind the boy, but now, it seemed he had simply disappeared. Matthew couldn't believe his eyes, maybe he was delusional from the cold he told himself. He looked around and noticed a humongous tree sitting a bit further ahead and thought maybe the boy had noticed him and was hiding behind it.

As Matthew reached the other side of the tree, he still saw no sign of the boy, however, he noticed a large hole in the ground thathad not been visible from the other side of the tree. Silently panicking, afraid the boy might have fallen in, he got on his hands and knees and peered down into the hole.

"H-Hello?" He whispered, his voice shaking as his eyes tried to adjust to the complete lack of light within the hole. Hearing no response, he leaned a bit further forward and reached his arm in, hoping it wasn't deep and maybe he could reach the boy if he had indeed fallen in.

At this moment, a gust of wind hit Matthew in the back and he wobbled forward, trying to regain his balance and failing. His eyes widened and let out a small squeak as he felt himself fall forward. The last thing he remembered was a feeling of weightlessness and pitch darkness before he fainted.

**Well, there ya go, hope that was a wee bit interesting, maybe? I'm working on the first chapter, so if you wanna hear more, leave a review and motivate me if you want :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Mmmk, I'm back! Hope you like it, I spent hours working on this ;)**

Matthew was vaguely aware of the sound of rustling and the gentlest breeze against his skin, but he couldn't make himself wake up, he simply didn't have enough energy. To his left, he could feel someone moving, approaching him. He felt sleep starting to pull him under again, but his interest in what this person might do kept it at bay. He felt a hand on his forehead and a light, warm pressure on his cheek before sleep finally took over.

When Matthew awoke this time, it took him a moment to sit up. He had no idea for how long he'd actually slept, or where he was as he glanced around the room. He pinched his arm lightly, to make sure he wasn't still asleep. He was in a large room, lying on a huge canopy bed surrounded by red sheets. The windows, or doors as you may call them by their size, took up almost a whole wall of the room and opened onto a wide balcony that could've been a room in and of itself. The walls of the room were covered in black and red wallpaper, with a heart design. The furniture was a deep mahogany and extravagant in design, seemingly fit for a king. Matthew was baffled. The last thing he remembered was falling down a hole as he looked for the strange disappearing boy, how had he ended up in such a place? After the initial surprise had passed, panic started setting in. He was in a strange room, in a strange place, he had no idea what time it was and his mind flew in all kinds of horrible directions. Maybe he'd been kidnapped, maybe he was dead, maybe... Maybe this was all a dream.

As Matthew felt himself start hyperventilating, he heard the click of the door and looked up, eyes wide and body shaking. Matthew couldn't stop the squeak of fear that escaped his lips as the person entered and closed the door behind them.

The stranger looked up, startled. He hadn't expected Matthew to have woken up this quickly. Upon noticing Matthew's terrified eyes and shaking body, he brought up his hands in a show of peace and offered him a small comforting smile. Matthew didn't know how to react to this gesture. Of course he was still terrified, could he possibly trust this stranger? He took a moment to look at the man, at his beautiful blue eyes and light blond hair tied back in a small wavy ponytail at the back. He was dressed in layers of red clothing, at his neck hung a golden heart pendant. The man was beautiful and Matthew couldn't stop the hint of pink that rushed to his cheeks as his mind pictured what he might look like with less clothing. What Matthew knew for certain, was the man looked important, and he'd never been looked at the way the man was looking at him before, like he was important too.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, mon cher." The man said, his voice low as he tried to ease Matthew's fear. Matthew's blush deepened at the french endearment he had heard, not wanting to let the man know he understood French perfectly. The man has a strong French accent and Matthew couldn't stop himself from lowering his guard slightly. Matthew nodded slowly, clutching his hands together in front of him. "I-It's okay... May I ask... Who you are?" He asked, his voice shaking a little as he tried to formulate his sentence in the lease offensive way possible. He was certain that angering this man was not an option.

The man took a small step forward, extending his right hand for Matthew to shake if he wanted to. "I'm called Francis, would you allow me the pleasure of knowing your name?" The man, Francis, offered a smile that could've made girls swoon when he saw Matthew reach for his extended hand. "I'm Matthew." He whispered, shaking Francis' hand and lingering for a moment too long, enjoying the feel of his small hand wrapped in Francis' large one. He gasped and pulled back when he realized that they'd remained that way for far longer than was appropriate.

Francis chuckled at the tinge of pink that seeped onto Matthew's cheeks. "Mathieu, what a beautiful name. I suppose I should explain where you are, to prevent your adorable face from looking at me with fear, non?" Francis smiled as Matthew remained speechless and nodded. He had no idea how to respond to this beautiful man and his compliments. He'd never been talked to so gently, and he certainly had no experience with flirting.

"Well, it's quite an unbelievable explanation. You see, I've begun to believe you aren't from this land, since you clearly have no idea who I am." Francis raised his hands up and shook his head when he noticed how upset Matthew got at this statement.

"It's not a problem at all, mon petit Mathieu, ne t'inquiete pas.(Don't worry) You see, this is the kingdom of Hearts, ruled by the King of Hearts. The neighbouring kingdoms are Spades, Clubs and Diamonds. We all rule individually and rarely interact with each other. And you, mon cherie, are not from any of these kingdoms, non?" Matthew shook his head, his eyes wide.

How could he have woken up that very morning in his bed, in Canada, and now find himself in an unknown land called the kingdom of Hearts after having fallen through a hole. "Non... I'm not from here." He whispered, only realizing he'd said no in French when it was too late and he noticed Francis' eyes lighting up.

"You speak Francais, Mathieu?" Francis took a step closer to Matthew, his face lighting up in childish glee, as though he'd just made a new friend.

Matthew nodded, a blush creeping up his neck again. Francis smiled teasingly, his mind automatically thinking of new and different words he could use to tease this cute little stranger he'd found that morning.

"Mathieu, I found you unconscious in my garden, would you mind telling me what happened?" He asked, realizing that before he started shamelessly embarrassing the boy, he should get the full story.

Matthew smiled lightly and nodded. "I was on my way to school and I saw this boy, dressed in the cutest bunny outfit, and I followed him. When I went around the hedge, he'd disappeared and I was afraid he'd fallen through the hole by the tree, so I leaned over it, but a gust of wind made me fall and then I woke up here."

Francis looked out the window thoughtfully throughout Matthew's story, and set his gaze on Matthew as soon as he was finished.

"That must have been Peter then, he wanders off sometimes, no one knows where he goes off to. I'm glad the fall didn't hurt you, Mathieu, it would have been a great shame to harm such a beautiful body." He let a flirtatious smirk slide onto his face as his gaze trailed Matthew up and down.

Matthew kept his gaze steady even though his brain was overheating. He smiled back at Francis and fluttered his lashes cutely. "Would you like to make sure? There might be some hidden injury somewhere." He whispered, teasing Francis.

Francis was left speechless for a moment, the last thing he'd expected was for quiet little Matthew to offer himself to him. "Non, Non Merci. Although I will take you up on that offer sometime, mon petit Mathieu, be sure of that. Now, would you care for a tour?" He asked, extending his hand towards Matthew.

Matthew smiled and nodded, reaching forward and taking Francis' hand, not only because he wanted to feel his warmth again, but because he was also afraid of getting horribly lost.

As Francis navigated him throughout the many winding halls of

the castle, sometimes pointing out some rooms, Matthew found himself amazed by the sheer size of everything. Of course, most things were red and extravagant, but Matthew couldn't begin to believe how someone could possibly need so many rooms and hallways. He knew that Francis wasn't alone in the castle, not because he'd seen anyone, but because he heard them. People were moving about in rooms with closed doors and Matthew didn't want to pry, even though he was dying to meet some more people.

Finally, Francis stopped in front of a large pair of double doors and turned to Matthew. They were the biggest doors Matthew had ever seen. They were over triple his height and there were beautiful ornate hearts carved into the dark wood of the door. Matthew stood for a moment looking up at them with his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open in awe. Francis chuckled and pushed open the door slowly.

"Mathieu, welcome to my humble garden." Humble was not a way to describe this place. Roses were everywhere, in any colour you could imagine, even some which Matthew didn't even know existed.

There were beautiful hedge scultpures, 4 of them were shaped in the shapes of the different suits; Clubs, Clovers, Diamonds and Hearts. They were large and took up a large amount of space, but they were nothing compared to the hedge maze that took up over two thirds of the garden itself. The hedges were covered in different kinds of flowers and were high enough so that even the tallest man couldn't see above them.

"It's... It's beautiful." Matthew choked out, amazed by the sheer size and beauty of it all. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen... It was so like Francis, for such a beautiful man, to be the creator of such an amazing garden.

Suddenly, a tall man ran out of the castle and rushed over to Francis. He was tall with tan skin and brown hair and his eyes were the most popping green Matthew had ever seen. "Mi amigo, we need you inside! Vamos!"

Francis looked at Matthew apologetically and nodded to the man, telling him to head back inside. "Mathieu, je suis desole, but I must handle this. You can stay here or explore through the castle, I will find you when I'm done, mon cher." With that, Francis leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on Matthew's hand before heading inside the castle and leaving Matthew behind, speechless.

Matthew stood still for a while, as his blush faded away slowly and his brain processed everything. He shook his head to clear it and looked towards the maze, deciding to head into it.

The maze seemed eternal once he'd entered. He'd never had the most sense of direction and it only got worse here. He turned right, then left, then right, then maybe another right, until he was left completely disoriented and confused standing between two large hedge walls alone.

He looked around from side to side and decided to keep walking a little while longer. Right, Left, Left, Right. Finally, he turned a corner and found himself in a smaller version of the garden he'd been in earlier. This one had a small water fountain in the centre and little benches along the sides. There was a map hanging on one of the hedges that showed the way back to the castle, but Matthew was too tired to register it. He sat down on the bench and leaned against the sides of the maze he'd just exited from.

Matthew thought back to how this had all started and had to blink away the start of tears. All he'd wanted was to avoid his test and he'd found himself here. In this beautiful land, where the only person he'd really met was a hadnsome, flirtatious man who he couldn't help but feel extremely attracted to.

Despite his budding feelings for Francis, Matthew had to find a way home. Maybe he could find the boy who'd led him here and ask him for the way back, except... He had no idea how to get from one suit's land to the other's.

With his mind still filled with all these different thoughts of home and of Francis, Matthew found himself dozing off. His eyelids started feeling heavy and his brain started slowing down. Within a few moments, Matthew had fallen into a light sleep.

He remained this way for a few more minutes before he was woken up by a rustling. His eyes snapped open and he found himself staring up into large brown eyes.

**Sooooo? I know not much happened, but I was having trouble with plot, and I figured it out so it should be better soon! Am I portraying the characters properly? Do I need to change something? Please let me know and I'll try and fix it :D And please be nice 3 **


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry this took a while, school is pretty harsh sometimes ;) **

**Wrote this on my day off, so hope it's good and please feel free to review :)**

Chapter 2

Matthew jumped up from the bench, letting out a yelp as he scrambled away from the stranger. He couldn't believe he'd let himself fall asleep in the middle of a maze! What if he'd been kidnapped? The stranger stood still for a moment, letting Matthew process the situation, a friendly smile on his face as he tilted his head to the side and extended a hand towards Matthew.

"Ciao, I'm Feliciano, but you can just call me Feli, Ve!~ I've never seen you before, are you new? Have you met Francis? Of course you have, if he let you in his garden! Oh! Luddy doesn't like Francis, so don't let him know you saw me, he says Francis is just a big lecher, though I have no idea what that means! Oh, but I'm not here to see Francis anyways! Antonio had something to give Lovi and I'm just a messenger cause Lovi doesn't want Antonio to know that he's really really excited about it and oh no! Don't tell Lovi I said that!"

Matthew blinked, trying to process everything the little Italian, Feliciano, had just told him. None of it was actually relevant, seeing as Matthew knew none of the people he'd mentioned except Francis and wait, had Feliciano had called him a lecher... What did he mean? "Umm, excuse me, my name's Matthew, and yes, I am new, and I have met Francis. What did you mean by lecher? Has he... done something?"

Feliciano reached forward and grabbed Matthew's hand, shaking it vigorously and nodding his head incessantly. "It's a pleasure to meet you! Luddy says that Francis wants to... "get in everyone's pants" I think he called it, though I can't understand why he would want to do that since he couldn't possibly fit inside my pants, or Lovi's, or Roderich's, or even Luddy's for that matter! My pants are much smaller than his, Ve!~ Oh! I need to get going, Antonio is waiting with his present for Lovi in the garden, do you want me to show you the way back! Or you could come back to Luddy's with me! Oh, that would be fun, no? I could show you around everywhere and introduce you to everyone! But... you probably want to stay here right? Francis' garden has always been the prettiest and Luddy's doesn't even begin to compare."

Matthew was fascinated by the amount that Feliciano could say in one breath, and how many facial expressions could flash on his face within a minute. What Feliciano had told him about Francis had disturbed him so much that he'd barely heard what he'd said afterwards. Was Francis the same with everyone? Did he really just want to "get in everyone's pants? Matthew blinked rapidly, scolding himself. He'd just met the man, of course Francis didn't feel anything towards him. He was just a strange boy he'd found in his garden and had felt sorry for him. For some reason, this thought made Matthew's eyes tear up even more and he had to blink even more to stop himself from crying in front of Feliciano. He was tempted to take Feliciano's offer of going with him, but he wanted to talk to Francis.

"Will you take me back with you to the castle? I... want to talk to Francis. And then, maybe if you're still there, I'd love to go meet "Luddy" as you call him." Matthew offered a small smile to Feliciano. He'd just met the small Italian but he liked him. He was full of energy and could make anyone feel better.

Feliciano nodded and reached over to link his arm with Matthew's. "Si!~ Let's go! Antonio must be worried, I was supposed to be there a while ago and oh does he really love Lovi!Even though Lovi hits him and yells at him all the time, it's like Antonio likes it! Luddy calls him a masochist, but I don't know what that is, although it sounds interesting! And I can't wait for you to meet Luddy, he's strong and kind, and even though he can look absolutely terrifying at first, he's actually really nice and Lovi always calls him names but he doesn't let it provoke him and that's what makes Luddy so great! Oh and..."

Feliciano kept talking on and on, non-stop, the whole way back through the maze and to the garden while Matthew just nodded here and there and made little "mmhmm" noises every once in a while. His mind wandered, thinking of Francis, about what Feliciano had said about him, about how he'd seemed like the sweetest person ever, how he'd looked at Matthew like he actually mattered.

They reached the garden quickly enough, since Feliciano seemed to know the maze like the back of his hand and didn't hit a dead end even once. In the garden, Matthew was surprised to find the man who'd called Francis away earlier standing there. The man with the green eyes.

"Antonio! Look! I found someone in the maze! Isn't that wonderful? His name is Matthew and he knows Francis and I told him that you had a present for Lovi, and that he should come meet Luddy and tha-" Feliciano was cut off abruptly when the man, Antonio, placed his hand over his mouth to quiet him and muffled his voice.

"Matthew was it? My name is Antonio. Mi amigo told me about you, Francis. He's in his office, inside, if you want to go find him. I need to talk to Feli about my sweet little tomato." Antonio spoke with a spanish accent, it seemed as though everyone in this place had an accent of some sort so far.

Matthew nodded and gave a small smile to Antonio, assuming that the tomato he mentioned was "Lovi" and that these were private matters. He waved quickly to Feliciano and headed towards the massive doors that led into the castle. He heard Feliciano call that he'd wait to take him to meet Luddy as the doors closed behind him and he headed into the hallway to his left. Francis had given him a tour earlier, but he'd been slightly distracted by holding hands with such a handsome man and he was having difficulty remembering where the office had been. There were thousands of room in the whole castle and Matthew had to open at least 10 doors before he found the right one. He knocked on the door before opening it, of course, and waited for an answer. When he heard nothing, he turned the knob slowly and carefully before pushing the door open. He was certain he had the right room now, unless there was another office in the castle.

He looked around inside, noticing the wall to wall bookshelves containing millions of books, more than Matthew had ever seen in one place, or even in his whole life. In the centre of the room was a large wooden desk. It was carved with intricate hearts and was incredibly beautiful but Matthew was distracted by Francis' sleeping form slumped over it. Matthew took small quiet steps forward, afraid to wake him. He walked around the desk and crouched so he was eye level with the desk, and Francis. Francis looked so peaceful, with strands of his hair falling forward, covering his eyes and a small smile playing at his lips, as though he were having a good dream. Matthew reached out his hand and brushed a strand of hair away from his face, behind his hair and froze when Francis opened his eyes and he found himself staring into them.

"Matthieu." He whispered, a smile slipping onto his face, making Matthew feel weak at the knees and almost forget the reason he'd come here in the first place. Francis reached over and cupped Matthew cheek in his big, warm hand, making Matthew breathe in sharply. "I was just dreaming about you, mon ange."

Matthew couldn't stop the blush that creeped up his cheeks, making him feel warm. He let his hand drop from where it was still frozen, holding Francis' hair. He loved how Francis looked at him, as though he were the only thing on earth(well, wonderland) and he hated to ruin this moment but he had to know.

"Francis... I met Feliciano in the maze and he... He told me things that I don't know whether I want to believe." Matthew whispered, his eyes searching Francis', noticing how they widened as Matthew spoke and how a brief expression of panic appeared on his face before he managed to hide it.

Francis pulled his hand away from Matthew's cheek and sat up at the desk, folding his hands in his lap and looking down, afraid of seeing if Matthew would be disappointed in him. Matthew pulled back too, his eyes already brimming with tears, afraid of hearing this but unwilling to miss it.

"Matthieu, everyone has a past. Mine might not be the best, most innocent one, but trust me when I tell you this, I have changed. What Ludwig told Feliciano is probably right, though I'm not sure he properly understood it himself. I have slept with many people, more than I care to admit."

Matthew couldn't stop the tears, they leaked out slowly, silently and he couldn't stop them. He knew he had no right to feel betrayed, after all, they'd just met and everything that Francis did was his own business. "D-Do you treat everyone like this? Like me? Am I the same? Just like the others? A pretty boy who you can seduce and then move on to the next one?"

His voice broke halfway through the sentence, his eyes locked on the ground so he didn't notice when Francis looked up at him, his eyes filled with sorrow. He'd never meant to make him cry, and he knew he had been wrong with the things he'd done in the past, and he had to make Matthew understand that this was different.

Francis reached over and brushed his thumb along Matthew's cheek, wiping away his tears, but they were immediately replaced with more.

"Matthieu, I hate to admit it but I gave up on love a long time ago. I stopped looking. No one was important to me, they were all the same. But then I found you. In my garden. The most beautiful boy I'd ever seen, just lying there. And Matthieu, you are not the same. Far from it. You are special, and I know it, and I'd be a fool to let you go. S'il te plait, will you look at me?"

Francis placed his finger under Matthew's chin, pulling it up so that Matthew was looking straight into his eyes. The tears has stopped, and Matthew hesitated. Oh, how he wanted to believe Francis, with all his heart, but how could he be sure. As he searched Francis' beautiful blue eyes, he saw nothing but honesty. Francis was looking at him that way again, like nothing but him mattered, and Matthew gave in. He nodded lightly and let a small smile creep onto his face and saw Francis's face light up like the sun, and knew he'd made the right decision.

Francis cupped Matthew's cheek one more time, leaning closer until their foreheads were touching. He brushed away the last of Matthew's tears with his thumb. He searched the boy's violet eyes for a moment, afraid he would pull away but found nothing but relief in them. Relief that this wasn't all a game to him, that maybe, he was actually being treasured by someone.

"Close your eyes, Matthieu." Francis whispered gently and Matthew did as he was told. Francis smiled to himself slightly before closing the distance between himself and Matthew, pressing his lips to Matthew's.

**How was it? Hope it was okay, and sorry if you didn't like it :( I put a lot of time into this chapter and I promise things will start happened soon :3**

**P.S. Would you guys want me to put translations for the french? Since I'm fluent, I don't feel the need and I don't put too much in, but lemme know if you'd like it ;)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took a while, wrote this months ago, but my iPad, where it was written on wouldn't let me publish. Hope you like it :)**

Matthew had been kissed before of course, but not like this. Warmth spread throughout his body the moment their lips touched. Francis' hands reached around Matthew's hips and pulled him closer. Matthew let his hands trail up Francis' chest slowly to drape his arms around his neck. He had no clue how long they'd remained like that until he was startled out of the moment by the sound of a door slamming open behind them and Matthew jumped away from Francis, blushing profusely.

It was the tall man from the garden, who seemed to realize what he'd just walked in on and a wide grin stretched across his face. "Lo siento, I knocked, but no one answered. I am Antonio, jack of Hearts, at your service. Mi amigo, your presence is required elsewhere." He finished, his attention jumping quickly from Matthew to Francis. He spoke with a very obvious spanish accent and had an easygoing manner about him. Matthew thought he would have no trouble getting along with Antonio.

Francis glared at his friend, obviously displeased at having been interupted, but he stood up and offered Matthew his hand, to help him stand. Matthew smiled at him and took hold of it gratefully, certain that he'd of been unable to stand on his own. He stood up shakily and leaned against Francis, who wrapped his arm around his waist gently and smiled down at him. Matthew was still a little uncertain about Francis' past, but he couldn't let past mistakes shape his view of the man. Everyone had a past, and that's where it should remain, in the past.

Antonio motioned for them to follow him out into the hall, and they did. They followed Antonio down a series of long hallways that stopped at another huge set of doors, this time leading into a room that contained a large table which occupied 3/4 of the room. There was a large ornate carved chair at the end of the table, obviously for the king, and smaller, less extravagant versions of the chair around the table for others. Matthew looked around and noticed two figures standing in the corner but he couldn't quite determine anything other than that they were both blond too.

Antonio announced Francis' arrival and the two figures turned around, one of them already glaring daggers at Francis from what Matthew could see. Francis sighed and walked to the big chair, his arm still protectively around Matthew's waist. As he sat down in the chair, he pulled Matthew onto his lap and motioned for Antonio to stand behind him. "Matthieu, I'd like you to meet the king and queen of Diamonds, Alfred and Arthur." Matthew spent a moment examining the two men standing in front of him before letting out a small gasp.

"Alfred?" He mumbled as his eyes widened and he jumped off Francis' lap, blushing. He hadn't seen his brother in years. Since he'd left a note saying he was "Sorry bro, but I've found something I gotta do, love ya man." Matthew had felt lost without his elder brother with him, not knowing how to handle it. He'd locked himself in his room for months, unable to even comprehend that Alfred had just abandoned him so easily. And here he was, standing in front of him with his arm around another's man waist and looking as happy and easy going as he'd ever been.

Alfred looked stunned for a moment and the man beside him glanced back and forth between Alfred and Matthew. "Mattie? W-What are you doing here? I've missed you man! Sorry I had to leave and all, but Artie here just absolutely needed me to stay here with him and all." The man beside him, Artie(?) frowned at the name Alfred called him and glared at him angrily, an action which made his bushy brows seem even thicker.

Matthew's gaze left Alfred and rested on the slightly shorter man beside him, looking at him for the first time. He had short, messy blond hair and lime green eyes. He was trying to look superior, as though he didn't care about any of this, but Matthew could see how his eyes rested on Alfred when he thought no one was looking and the love that was there, in those fleeting glances. He wore a light blue outfit, similar to that Alfred was wearing, with diamonds on each side of the lapels. The man's eyes widened when he finally understood who Matthew was but he didn't get a chance to speak before Alfred started up again.

"What are you doing with this french guy anyways? You're supposed to be back at home. This place is wayyyyy weird." Alfred smiled at Artie(?) and squeezed his waist quickly, a sign of affection, and Matthew suddenly wondered why he'd leapt off Francis's lap despite the fact that he hadn't been doing anything wrong. So he sat back down. Francis' face lit up in a smile. Despite the fact that he'd been quiet throughout their exchange, he'd been worried Matthew might be ashamed of what they'd done, and not want to show his... brother? So when Matthew settled back into his lap, he couldn't stop the relief from showing in his face quickly, before putting an arm around Matthew's waist gently.

Alfred frowned at the arm around his brother's waist and took a step forward only to be stopped by the man beside him putting his hand on his arm and shooting him a look.

"Matthew, I'm sorry we haven't had the opportunity to meet before. This bloody idiot did it all wrong, leaving a note like that. Dimwit. My name is Arthur, I'm the... queen... of diamonds, and your brother was picked to be my-...the king. I thought he might be intelligent enough to explain his reasons to his family, but he didn't and then it was too late. Would you care to tell us how you found yourself here? In the kingdom of hearts with this damn frog too?" The man beside Alfred said, speaking with a british accent.

Matthew glanced at Francis over his shoulder, who shrugged and smiled playfully, before turning back to his brother and Arthur and speaking. "It's nice to meet you, Arthur. And Alfred, I missed you too. I followed, Peter, I think he was called, and fell through a hole and Francis found me and told me where I was. He's been nothing but nice to me."

"I believe you had important matters to discuss, oui? You wouldn't make the long journey here just to talk." Francis said, raising a very valid point. He glanced back and forth between Arthur and Alfred, frowning. Rulers rarely left their own kingdoms, unless it was for crucial matters, which meant something had happened.

"Oh, right. Feliciano's gone missing, and he was last seen here. Lovino and Ludwig are going mad with worry and think he's here. I recommend going to look around your big garden to make sure he didn't just get lost. And keep Matthew safe frog, or you'll never hear the end of it." Arthur finished, glancing at Alfred in case he'd forgotten to mention anything. When Alfred had nothing to add, he glanced at Francis for his opinion.

Matthew's mind flashed back to the garden and the hyperactive italian he'd met there, worry showing on his face. Feliciano had been nice, and showed him the way back, he didn't want to imagine him lost somewhere in the garden, crying and alone.

Francis looked at Matthew's worried face and reached over to squeeze his hand gently. "Understood, merci for coming and informing me. Antonio, you'll stay here and make sure everything is alright, Mathieu and I will go explore the garden and see if we can't find Feliciano. Arthur, I assume you and Alfred can find your own way out? Or remain in the guest room, you know where it is."

Francis pulled Matthew up with him and headed towards the door. Matthew pulled away for a second to go hug Alfred quickly before returning to Francis' side and waving to his brother from the door. When the door closed behind them Francis turned to Matthew and cupped his cheek. "Don't worry about Feli, I'm sure he probably fell asleep somewhere without thinking of the time. If you want, you can stay and catch up with your brother for a little while, mon ange. I don't want to split you apart." Matthew hurried to shake his head. He loved Alfred, with all his heart, he was the only family he had, but Alfred had abandoned him. Matthew knew that if he even tried to talk to Alfred properly and seriously he would end up crying, and Alfred would feel horrible. If a serious conversation was even possible, Alfred was sure to smile and shrug it off, pretend like none of it mattered, as he always had before. Matthew assumed it was his way of coping, despite the fact that talking about things always seemed to lift a burden from his brother, when he was ready to be serious that is.

Matthew smiled at Francis and took his hand again. "No, I'm going with you, I can catch up with Alfred another time, but finding Feli is important right now. I know how terrified I would be if I got lost in the garden, and I don't want Feli to be scared. Come on." Matthew tugged Francis down the hallway in the direction he thought they'd come from.

The moment Matthew started getting lost in the castle, Francis took the lead and they reached the garden rapidly enough. Francis looked around the courtyard making sure Feliciano wasn't in plain sight before grabbing a map, shoving it in his pocket and heading into the maze, motioning for Matthew to follow him.

"Feli!?" Matthew called, tired and worried. They'd been searching around the maze for about an hour and a half, or so Matthew thought, he wasn't quite sure of the time anymore. Francis hadn't needed his map at first, knowing most of his garden like the back of his hand but now he held it open and traced his finger along different paths, trying to remember where they'd checked already and where they hadn't. Francis sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it and making him look younger. Matthew glanced at Francis and bit his lip shyly, he knew he should be worried about Feliciano, and he was, but seeing Francis so frustrated made him want to comfort him.

"Maybe we should take a break?" Matthew asked, peeking up at Francis. Francis hadn't noticed Matthew get closer to him and jumped, startled. He breathed out another sigh and nodded. "Oui, maybe we should, getting restless isn't gonna help find Feli. I'm sorry Mathieu." Matthew shook his head gently and took Francis' hand, leading him to the centre of the maze, where the fountain was. Matthew'd started to know his way around after about an hour in the maze and now he could make it to the centre and back to the castle easily enough. "Don't apologize, come, let's sit." Matthew sat down on one of the benches around the fountain and patted the spot next to him until Francis sat down. "I'm sure Feli's fine, don't worry." Matthew whispered, leaning his head gently on Francis' shoulder and closing his eyes.

"I'm not worried about Feli, I know he's fine. I'm worried what Ludwig might do if Feli's gone for too long. For all I know he could come for you if he thinks I have Feliciano. I can't get you caught up in this, you want to go home right? You shouldn't get too deep into this world, Mathieu, or it'll never let you go."

Matthew didn't know what to say for a moment, his brain processing what Francis had just said. After a while, he lifted his head from Francis' shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Of course, I need to go home at some point. That doesn't mean I necessarily WANT to, immediately that is. Alfred is here, he's my family, and the only thing back home is school. This is an adventure, and if I go home without living a little, then there'll have been no point... And that's why, I'm gonna do this." Matthew finished speaking, pressing a soft kiss on Francis's lips, afraid he might get pushed away.

Those thoughts quickly left his mind however the moment that Francis placed his hands on his hips and pulled him onto his lap, so that Matthew was practically straddling him. Matthew pulled back for a second to catch his breath and found himself staring into Francis' eyes, mesmerized. He bit his lip and reached forward to brush a finger along Francis' bottom lip and causing a hitch in his breath. Francis reached up and grabbed Matthew's hand, peppering it with kisses before he looked back at Matthew and smiled. "You have no idea what you do to me, mon petit Mathieu, we should get back to looking for Feliciano. We can... Have an adventure when we get back to the castle." Matthew blushed at Francis' words but a small smile still slid onto his face.

Francis stood up, with Matthew beside him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, before pulling out his map again. As they started heading down a pathway, they heard a shuffling sound and Feliciano popped up in the path opposite them. "Matthew! Francis! Ciao! I fell asleep in a dead end because it was so boring and I didn't want to turn around and try to find the centre again and then I overslept and when I woke up I had no clue in which dead end I was and then I heard noises and followed them and then here you were! Oh I'm so happy I found someone! And the centre! I can go back to see Luddy now! And Lovi! Yay!" Matthew blinked, still dizzied by the speed at which the Italian boy spoke.

Francis held out the map to Feliciano, pointing in the direction towards the castle. "Before you head home Feli, please go let Antonio know that you're safe and sound, so he doesn't worry. Mathieu and I will catch up." Feli nodded, smiling and skipping away down the path, unaware that he'd caused panic for everyone.

Francis chuckled and headed in the opposite direction as the one he'd just sent Feliciano. "Let's take a detour, we're in no rush now, right, mon ange?" Matthew nodded and was just starting to follow behind Francis when he felt a hand clamp over his mouth and someone hit Francis over the head, knocking him out. The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was the sight of Francis' still form lying on the grass and the one terrifying thought that maybe he wouldn't get back up.

**Feel free to review and let me know how it was!~**


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